These spicy chili garlic noodles are ready in about 15 minutes and full of flavor. They’re gluten free and vegan but delicious with some extra stir fried veggies and your choice of protein!
Is this turning into a noodle blog? Because it kind of feels like it lol. But I’m not complaining because I love them, they’re so easy to make, deliciously savory, vegan and gluten free but totally customizable depending on your preferences!
I’ve admitted this before, but I am very sensitive to spice. Almost embarrassingly sensitive. But here I am sharing a recipe for spicy noodles because ya’ll asked for it!
This recipe takes only about 15 minutes to whip up and can be easily customized with extra vegetables, protein, etc. You can serve these hot or cold so they’re the perfect recipe to meal prep.
These noodles are spicy and not for the faint of heart. Though you can definitely make them way less spicy if you prefer or so spicy that you’re sweating after two bites (me).
But no, you won’t die from eating spicy noodles, but you may sweat and need an extra large glass of water! Try my spicy chili chicken noodles , teriyaki tofu or one of my favorite asian noodles next!
Key ingredients
Noodles. I used wide white rice noodles, but really whatever you have is fine! White rice noodles can be quite sticky, so you want to add the sauce pretty quickly after the noodles cook.
You can also rinse the noodles after cooking to help wash away some of the excess starch. Alternatively, use a brown rice noodle which is less sticky. I like to get items like this from Thrive Market to save money.
Shallots, garlic & onion. We’ll be sauteeing the shallots, garic and green onion in some oil to add a ton of flavor to the sauce.
Soy sauce. I used tamari to keep it gluten free, but I promise it tastes the same as regular soy sauce. Be sure to use low sodium so it doesn’t get too salty!
If you only have full strength soy sauce, just cut the amount in half an then add more as needed to taste.
Chili garlic sauce. This sauce adds a delicious garlic flavor but also a lot of spice. Scale back if you’re sensitive.
Sriracha. This will take the spice up to the next level! Feel free to add as much or as little as you like.
Sugar. A little bit of brown sugar really helps to round out the flavors. It pairs well with the salty soy sauce and spicy sriracha.
How to make spicy noodles
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions.
Add the shallot and garlic to a pot and saute with the oil until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the white part of the scallions and the grated ginger and saute for 2-3 more minutes.
Pour in all remaining sauce ingredients and whisk together. Start on the low end of the recommended amounts of sriracha and chili sauce (1 tbsp or less for each).
It’s very easy to make it more spicy if you want, but if it ends up too spicy for you, it’s hard to tone it down! Everyone has different tolerance levels, hence the big ranges.
When the noodles are done cooking, combine with the sauce and diced roasted pepper and toss until well coated. taste and adjust flavors as desired.
The first bite might not seem that spicy, but it gets spicier the more you eat, so have a few bites before you decide to add extra sriracha or red chili flakes!
Serve as is or with any other vegetables or protein of choice. I love adding in bok choy, carrot or cabbage with chicken or tofu.
Top with red chili flakes for more spice and the remaining chopped scallions. Enjoy!
How to make it more or less spicy
I’ve listed various ways to make these noodles more or less spicy depending on your preference. An easy way to decrease the spicy level is to omit the sriracha and use less chili sauce.
So please don’t come at me in the comments saying they’re too spicy or not spicy enough, it’s simple to adjust to your liking and I try to give every one options : )
Even a pinch of red chili flakes will really take things up a notch if you’re looking for extra spicy noodles.
Serving suggestions
I like serving these spicy noodles with some extra pan fried veggies and some salmon or chicken. It’s also delicious with my air fried tofu or even some ground chicken. Anything goes here!
My favorite noodles
I love using wide rice noodles, but even just regular old spaghetti will work!
However, I generally find the texture of white rice noodles to be best for asian inspired dishes and the neutral flavor allows the flavors of the sauce to shine through.
You can even use ramen noodles, but be sure to follow the package instructions so you don’t overcook them.
Try these recipes next!
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Spicy Chili Garlic Noodles
by: claire cary
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rice noodles I used wide rice noodles
- 2 shallots sliced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup chopped scallions/green onions just the white part, save the green for garnish!
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon oil I used olive, vegetable oil works too!
- 4-5 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or tamari depending on how salty/saucy you like it
- 1-3 tablespoons chili garlic sauce depending on brand and spice preference, click for the one I used
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar can sub coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon sriracha more or less to taste
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes optional for extra spice
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to package instructions.
- Add the shallots and garlic to a pot and saute with the oil until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add the white part of the scallions and the grated ginger and saute for 2-3 more minutes.
- Add in all remaining sauce ingredients and whisk together. Start on the low end of the recommended amounts of sriracha and chili sauce (1 tbsp or less for each).
- It's very easy to make it more spicy if you want, but if it ends up too spicy for you, it's hard to tone it down! Everyone has different tolerance levels, hence the big ranges.
- When the noodles are done cooking, combine with the sauce and toss until well coated. Let simmer for a few minutes to allow the noodles to absorb the flavors. I also tossed in two diced roasted red peppers, but you can also add in any sauteed veggies you like!
- Taste and adjust flavors as desired. The first bite might not seem that spicy, but it gets spicier the more you eat, so have a few bites before you decide to add extra sriracha or red chili flakes!
- Serve as is or with any other vegetables or protein of choice. I love adding in bok choy, carrot or cabbage with chicken or tofu.
- Top with red chili flakes for more spice and the remaining chopped scallions. Enjoy!
Freza says
LOVEEE itt
Elijah says
Hey, I just want to inform you that, unless I am missing something, the first part of the instructions near the top says to sauté the garlic and shallots for about 5 minutes, but when you see number 2 on the directions near the bottom, it says 10. Not a huge deal just wanted to make you aware.
Claire Cary says
Thanks for letting me know, will update that!
CaribeAzul says
Our 12 yr-old grandson loves to cook. We had a cook-off competition between us as a family project. He knocked it out of the park with your flavorful recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!
Claire Cary says
How fun, love that!! Thank you!
Christine Dao says
I didn’t have shallots, ginger, or green onions, so I made this recipe with everything except those three ingredients.
This dish is now my partner’s favorite Asian noodle entree that I’ve ever made for them.
We ate all of it for dinner, and then I immediately made another batch so that he can bring it to work for lunch tomorrow!
Claire Cary says
Love that! Thank you, Christine!
Karen says
We made these noodles added th9n slices of pork to the sauce. DELICIOUS..
Grace says
these noodles were super easy and quick to make. so flavorful and delicious!! added shrimp, broccoli, red bell pepper, and edmame! great healthy dinner
Claire Cary says
Sounds perfect, thanks Grace!
Katherine says
Hi Grace,
How did you prep the broccoli, peppers, and shrimp? Did you saute it in the pan with the sauce ingredients or do it separately?
Thanks,
Kat
Maria S says
Fantastic and simple recipe!
I omitted the shallots because I didn’t have any and subbed the rice vinegar for apple cider vinegar. Added some leftover rotisserie chicken and used shirataki noodles (45 Cal per bag). Delicious and healthy (and you’re right, the heat sneaks up on you but I love it!)
Thank you!
Claire Cary says
Sounds delicious! Thank you, Maria!
Kimberly says
This recipe is actually AMAZING! I halved it for two of us. In the UK, I bought the Lee Kum Kee Chilli Garlic sauce, which you can buy in most shops. We will definitely
make this regularly. Thank you!
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Kimberly!
Elizabeth says
The link to the chili sauce no longer works – can I ask what kind you/folks use?
Claire Cary says
I like Huy Fong!
Tammy says
Restaurant-quality recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Tammy!
shahd says
excellent recipe! very simple and easy to make, tastes like it was made in a restaurant
Claire Cary says
So sweet of you, thank you!
Jo says
Really yummy! I could’ve upped the spice but enjoyed the flavours very much
Crystal says
Delish and can custom to your dietary needs.
I’m a vegan and my partner isn’t. I’m able to put aside the vegan portion for myself (the veggies I add are snap peas, broccoli, cabbage, sometime mushrooms) and add poultry or shrimp to his liking. Crowd pleaser for sure. Thank you!
Susan Duncan says
And, I forgot to add, I put a frozen salmon fillet into the boiling noodle water (in the sealed plastic) to cook while the noodles were cooking, then dumped it all together. I will be returning to this recipe.
Susan Duncan says
Usually I don’t write a review unless I follow a new recipe exactly, so this one has a few twists to it, as it was what I had on hand. Used 1/2 a medium white onion + a small leek instead of shallot, no garlic, used 1 tbsp chili / garlic sauce, 2 tsp. Sirracha (I don’t like too much spicey hot), added 1/2 cp chicken broth nd 1 cup shredded red cabbage all sauted then placed over fettuccine noodles. Tasted great!!!! Thanks for a nice base recipe from which to expand.
Claire Cary says
Amazing, so glad you enjoyed it and made it work for you!
Alicia says
Great basic recipe! I used a mix of honey and white sugar as I didn’t have brown. I followed the rest of the recipe and served with a fried egg and it was delicious! Took literally 15 mins start to finish.
SKEETER says
LOVED THIS RECIPE! VERY EASY AND VERY GOOD. MY HUSBAND AND DAUGHTER FOUGHT OVER THE LEFT OVERS FOR LUNCH. THANKS FOR THE RECIPE
mimi says
amazing, I recommend it for a full-flavored delicacy as dinner. absolutely popping with delicious flavour. if there was 10 stars it would be 10/10
Claire Cary says
Thank you, Mimi!
Brooke says
Trying to watch my carbs so I made this recipe with cabbage instead of the noodles. It was absolutely delicious!!!! I will being using that sauce on everything.
Claire Cary says
Love the idea of cabbage!
Marlies says
I loved this dish!! I was inspired by an episode of Grocery Games where the contestant made spicy garlic noodles topped with papaya “steak”. So in my searching for recipes I found yours! It was delicious and topped with the papaya even better. Thank you!!
Rocco says
Very nice! Quick and easy. Also added some mushrooms, paprika, soybeans and chicken.
Susan says
This sauce has quickly become a family favorite! So much so that I would like to give it away as Christmas gifts for my family’s “Favorite Things” gift exchange.
Have you ever tried canning it? Or any idea how long would it keep in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator?
Claire Cary says
I have not tried canning it, but it should keep in the fridge for about a week in a glass jar!
Megan says
Amazing recipe, perfect for a weeknight meal. My boyfriend and I come back to it again and again!
Claire Cary says
Amazing, thank you Megan!
Helen Maxman says
This sauce is a keeper! I used the lower amounts of sriracha and chili garlic sauce and I added in thinly sliced jalapeños with the scallions for a different kind of kick. Excellent and flavorful recipe- who needs takeout noodles???!
Claire Cary says
Thank you Helen!
Nik says
Really delicious! Thanks for sharing a great recipe. Stuck to the ingredients and quantities as per the recipe and definitely had a kick. Making again tonight and going to add in some veggies and prawns. Yum!
Ruba says
Wow! These were amazing, it tasted exactly the way I wanted it too. I personally put too much extra chilli sauce, which made it too hot 🥵. So I’ll definitely tone it down next time, but otherwise it was delicious and I cooked some mushrooms and bok choy with the noodles too
Elle says
This. Was. Amazing. I added ground turkey and some veg and could’ve finished the whole thing but managed to restrain myself and save some for lunch tomorrow. I will double up on the sauce next time since the turkey soaks it up.
Claire Cary says
Delicious! Need to try this with ground turkey, sounds so good!
Meg says
Let me start by saying this recipe is delicious! I substituted the chili garlic sauce with a fresh pepper from my garden (extremely hot, I wear gloves when cutting), skipped the chili flakes, and added an extra teaspoon of brown sugar. I love spicy to the point that I’m crying but I was afraid of overpowering the rest of the flavors and figured I could just add sriracha to each serving if I needed more. But the heat level was perfect for me!
My only recommendation is if you plan to serve this for dinner or if you’re meal prepping for the week, you should triple or quadruple the recipe or go heavy on added protein. These measurements gave me enough for one decent sized bowl.
I’ll definitely make it again!
Claire Cary says
Love those substitutions! Thanks Meg!
Marge says
What a great dish. The heat/spice was perfect. Will make often but will double sauce since my husband wants his portion to contain shrimp. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Claire Cary says
Perfect! So happy you both enjoyed it!
Pearl says
Tried this recipe today! I thought it was pretty good. I agree with the advice to start out low with the spice — I would recommend doing the lowest amount in the range and then adding red chili flakes on top if you don’t think it’s spicy enough (unless you know you’re a spice fiend). I found mine overly salty, but I didn’t read the warning carefully enough in the notes about full strength tamari, so that’s on me!
I also used a random traditional hot sauce instead of Sriracha. I added a small amount chicken broth because I didn’t feel that there was enough liquid to constitute a sauce (?)… might be a way to thin down the spice if you overdo it!
Thank you ❤️